Author's Note: Woo, finally! We're getting close to the end of this one. Enjoy!

Yuan could feel the tension in the air as he entered the meeting room. Fortunately, it didn't seem to affect him very much. Julius had finally been found by one of the others (in the company of his brother, no less) and, given the contents of his report, Yuan realized that the outcome of this meeting didn't matter much at all. Even if Pronyma somehow got both of her favorites into position, one of them wouldn't last very long.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," Kratos murmured sourly as Yuan took his place beside his old friend.

"I suppose I am. You're not."

"Very astute of you," Kratos said drily. "Yuan, why are we even here?"

"You mean, why are we in a meeting to decide the next Grand Cardinals when Lord Yggdrasill doesn't even give us a chance to mingle with the troops and decide for ourselves who's best suited for the job?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

"To dangle our position over their heads and remind them that their illusion of control is just that."

This drew a chuckle from Nuitis, the only other one in the room so far. "A grand height to which some of us may never rise," he said with just a faint trace of irony in his voice. Nuitis was a disciple of Darkness magic.

"Do you favor anyone, Lord Nuitis?" Yuan asked curiously.

The Grand Cardinal shook his head. "Morons, the lot of them," he stated flatly. Yuan and Kratos grinned at each other. "If there were someone I favored to lead, I'd step down and let them lead in my place."

"You wouldn't prefer to have an ally among the ranks?" Kratos inquired. That was standard practice, after all, and what Pronyma was hoping to accomplish.

Nuitis grinned. Yuan found it rather creepy, all things considered. "If I considered someone fit to lead, it would be based on their cunning and ambition. As it is, my fellow Cardinals have only the latter, so they are no threat to me."

Yuan nodded. "So your idea of a good candidate would be someone you'd have to watch your back around."

"Who better to carry on my plans?" Nuitis responded, raising an eyebrow.

Noting to himself once again that keeping an eye on Nuitis would be a good idea, Yuan was cut off from responding by the simultaneous entrance of Pronyma and Jomark. They were arguing, predictably, about the candidates. Nuitis just gave a significant look at the two Seraphim and shrugged, fading into the background with the ease of long practice.

Soon, Yggdrasill entered the room and the arguments stopped. "As I understand it," he began without preamble, "we have three suitable candidates for two positions. Who wants to explain to me why I should reject one of them?"

"Lord Yggdrasill, it is more than clear that my men are best suited for the job," Pronyma said primly. "Their records are superb, and they're both very dedicated to our ideals. Moreover, neither of them has the impossible ideal of living up to a father like Zircata."

These were all good points, but Jomark wouldn't yield his position. "Yet Kvar's been leading his mother's legion for close to thirty years and there's been nothing but praise for him. It would cause less confusion to let him stay in that position, only with official sanction. There'll be enough chaos with two legions getting new leaders as it is."

"Kvar's very independent-minded," Yggdrasill scowled. Yuan noticed Nuitis hiding a grin.

"Magnius and Jacob will do whatever I tell them," Pronyma said quickly.

"Independent thinking leads to new innovations and greater power for us all," countered Jomark.

"You just don't want Kvar in position because he threatens your leadership," Yuan taunted, directing his gaze to Pronyma.

"Enough, Yuan," snapped Yggdrasill. "Zircata's son or not, no mere boy is going to rise to the head of the Five Grand Cardinals."

There was an obvious response to that one, but Yuan held his tongue. He noticed Kratos clenching his fists, probably thinking the same thing. "Yes Mithos, no mere boy is capable of leading others or accomplishing anything of note."

"If you had to choose one of them," Yggdrasill continued to Pronyma, "which would it be and why?"

She hesitated only a moment, confirming Julius's report that she was only expecting to win one of the positions anyway. "Jacob. He has seniority."

If Julius hadn't urged him not to, Yuan would have asked something along the lines of "but is he more competent?" Since he had an inkling of her plan, though, he let it rest.

"Very well," Yggdrasill said. "Does anyone besides Pronyma object to the positions being given to Jacob and Kvar? Keep in mind that this means you will be dealing directly with these individuals from now on and will be expected to deal with them civilly, at least around me. The last thing I need is to be breaking up fights between the five of you. I'm busy enough as it is."

He seems more irritated than usual. Yuan glanced at Kratos, who nodded and then spoke for both of them. "The Seraphim have no objection."

Nuitis murmured his assent, and Jomark nodded. "The position of Grand Cardinal of the Desians will be granted to Jacob Zegna and Kvar son of Zircata, then," Yggdrasill declared. "I shall inform those two of their new status when I deem it appropriate. Now get out of my sight, all of you."

Yuan grinned at Kratos as they shuffled out of the meeting room, ignoring the others as they ignored him. "That means he won't be calling on us for a while," he said happily.

"You can get back to your secret project," agreed Kratos. "What in the world do you need all those Desian flunkies for, anyway?"

This was getting tricky. Yuan didn't want to lie to Kratos, but he didn't dare tell his friend the truth, either. He decided to temporize with a partial truth. "You know I've always wanted my own office on the surface," he said in a bare whisper, one that even angelic ears would have trouble making out from a distance. "And you know he's never going to give me permission."

Kratos stopped and stared at him. A flicker of something ran across his face, and Yuan wished (not for the first time) that Kratos was a little easier to read. Damn his poker face, anyway.

"With your skill, it would be a simple matter to redirect messages sent over the computer system to a place on the surface," Kratos said slowly. "So if you just paid constant attention to your messages, you wouldn't miss any important meetings. He'd never even really know you were gone."

I guess it would be that easy, Yuan thought, surprised. I never thought of that.

"You'd know," Yuan said uncertainly. "You actually bother to seek me out once in a while."

Kratos suddenly looked despondent. "Once in a while," he repeated bitterly. "Yuan, I know I haven't been everything you need in a friend—"

Yuan cut him off with an angry gesture. "Don't be stupid," he hissed. "I'd go mad if I were stuck up here without you and you know it. Don't even think that you aren't my best friend, because you are." He took a deep breath. "Just because I need more interaction than you can provide, that isn't a failing on your part, Kratos. It's not." He softened his expression. "Besides, it's not like I'll be leaving here permanently. I know my responsibilities." All too well. "And if you ever need to talk to me and I'm not around – ever – you can send me a message and I'll treat it with greater urgency than I would anything from Mithos. That's a promise, Kratos."

Kratos relaxed. He actually smiled. "And I don't even need to tell anyone that you're gone," he mused.

"Honestly, I don't the rest of them care."

"You're probably right," Kratos admitted. "And…it would make you happy, wouldn't it?"

"Living on the surface?" Kratos nodded. Yuan thought about it for a moment. "It would, Kratos. The very thought of it makes me happier than I've been in a long time." And that was the pure truth.

Kratos closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was only a hint of sadness in them. "Then I wish you luck. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," Yuan whispered.